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Emily Geiger Teenage Revolutionary War Heroine

While we find many stories of men performing
heroic deeds throughout history of America, we find very few records
of women serving their country. This, however, does not mean that
women did not serve their country. There are accounts of women
who have nobly performed their patriotic duty. One of those women
was Emily Geiger. The bearing of important dispatches through
an enemy's country is an enterprise that always requires both
courage and address. Miss Emily Geiger performed such a feat during
the American Revolution, under difficult circumstances.

General Nathaniel Greene had retreated
before Lord Rawdon. When Greene passed Broad river, he was desirous
to send an order to General Thomas Sumter to join him that they
might attack Lord Rawdon, who had divided his force. But the General
could find no man in that part of the state who was bold enough
to undertake so dangerous a mission.

The country to be passed
through for many miles was full of bloodthirsty Tories, who on
every occasion that offered drenched their hands in the blood of
the Whigs. At length, Emily Geiger presented herself to General
Greene, and proposed to act as his messenger. Emily was the
daughter of John and Emily Murff Geiger. Due to his infirmities, her father could
not go to the battlefield, making Emily extremely desirous to
serve her country in some way. The general, both surprised and
delighted, consented to her proposal. He accordingly wrote a letter
and delivered it, and at the same time communicated the contents
of it verbally, to be told to Sumter in case of accidents and/or
capture.

Emily pursued her journey on horseback
on a sidesaddle. She traveled under the guise of being on her
way to her Uncle Jacob's house many miles away. But on the second
day Lord Rawdon's scouts near the Congaree River intercepted
her. Coming from the
direction of Greene's army and not being able to tell an untruth
without
blushing, Emily was suspected and confined to a room no smaller
than that of some modern day sheds.

The officer sent for an old Tory matron
to search her for papers. Emily immediately sought to destroy
the letter, but was perplexed at what to do with the pieces. Then
she had an idea. As soon as the door was closed and the bustle
a little subsided, she ate up the letter, piece by piece After
a while, Mrs. Hogabook, the matron arrived. She carefully searched
Emily, but nothing was found of a suspicious nature about the
prisoner and she would disclose nothing. Suspicion being then
relieved, the officer commanding the scouts apologized for the
error and allowed her to leave, giving her an escort to her uncle's
home. The next day, Emily took a route somewhat roundabout to
avoid further detentions and soon after struck into the road leading
to Sumter's camp, where she arrived safely. Emily told the general
of her adventure and delivered Greene's verbal message to Sumter,
who in consequence, soon after joined the main army at Orangeburgh
(Wheeler, Daughters of Destiny, p. 180).

This article may be reprinted as long as it includes
the following resource box:Patricia Chadwick is a freelance writer and
creator of History's Women Website at www.HistorysWomen.com.
Visit her site and sign up for her FREE weekly newsletter.
Patti is also author of the newly released book "History's
Women - The Unsung Heroines" available in both e-book and
print formats at: https://www.pcpublications.org/hw/form.html